Hours after Boyzone member Keith Duffy celebrated crossing the finish line of the London marathon with a time of three hours fifty two minutes he was rushed to hospital with stomach pains. He lagter underwent an emergency operation for a hernia.

Doctors have now ordered the singer to take it easy, with the hope that he'll be fit enough to take part in the first few dates of the band's tour which kicks off on May 24.

Frontman Ronan Keating, who completed the gruelling race alongside Keith, admitted some gigs might have to be postponed if his bandmate hasn't fully recovered by the time they get underway. "We wouldn't tour without him... We'll work something out," he says.

Their colleague Mikey Graham said Keith's injury had also impacted on the outfit's rehearsals. "It leaves us in an unfortunate position," he explains, "because after a hernia op you can't do too much jumping around"